New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1887-03-08
APPROPRIATIONS AND REVENTE.

4 workman is known by his chips and so The
late Congress is known by the fact that nobody
can tell how much money it has effectively APP
propriated. How much it tried to appropriate
quite a different matter, clerks at Washington
arc laboring to ascertain. But its laws were 50
muddled that there seems to lie doubt whether
al that actually passed and were signed can
take full effect The failure Of the General
Deficiency bill left the Pensions Bureau. 1t is
said, without the required force with which 20
examine and pass claims under the Mexican
Pensions bill, so that although 100000
was appropriated for that class of pensions, it
is questioned whether enough of them can be
adjusted to draw out half that sum. The ne
cesSity Of closing some departments Of the Civil
Service of river and harbor work. and Of aban-
doning Notifications will incidentally remove
the occasion for other expenditures which Con
giess did authorize The bills passed arc said
TO have appropriated about $3.50 OOOO OO q
little less than the amount appropriated at the
previous session for the current year. Had all
the bills passed, the amount would have been
somewhere from $l5,OOOOOO to $6OO 600
greater But now it is doubted whether as
much as $26OOOO.OOO can be expended under
the laws enacted.
The Presidents friends are angry because
he has not signed some bills, and their passion
ate besieging TO get Lin 10 sign them, after
Congress has adjourned, is entirely out Of pro-
portion TO the zeal shown by the same members
Of Congress to get public business transacted
while there was yet time. Nobody can give a
reason why the President should now sign any
BILL that was not far more forciblc reason for
| ito possoCn bv ConDrosc narl, npouph 70 irc,,o
its safety. 1t is great pity that the bill which
covers the salaries Of members and the expenses
Of Congress, which went to the President so late
that he had not time to read it, was not peck
ctcd and killed on that ground. But the House
knew that it could not afford to play tricks with
that bill because 1t covered salaries Of Senators
and Of the President and his Cabinet also.
The revenue for eight months of this fiscal
year has been $23S 362,S57, against $217,-
698, 652 for the same months Of the previous
year, and 1918, 142 900 for July-Fcbuary, In.
elusive, 1SS4-'S5. In every month of the
eight except October the customs receipts show
increase, and in every month except November
the miscellaneous receipts, while the internal
revenue is only SAL 900 less than for the
same part Of the last fiscal year. If business
continues active, customs receipts for the re-
manning four months Of this fiscal year will
probably exceed $74O0O,OOO, in place of
SG6,339 600 last year, and the miscellaneous
receipts are likely to reach $4,000, 600 in that
case, so that the aggregate for the current fiscal
year estimated by Secretary Manning at
S356,000,O00. is in that event likely to run
$l0,O0o.o0O higher.
These data appear to foreshadow a large sur
plus revenue for the next fiscal year. Some
part of it may, however. he required In redemp
ton of bank notes the money deposited for
that purpose has been in part actually spent in
retiring bonds, and other money will have to
10 taken from the surplus when the bank notes
como in for their redemption. Last wear
S2S,S65,577 Of the notes Of banks insolyent
liquidating, or reducing circulation came in for
redemption, but as the amount Of notes ont
standing diminishes, the amount presented for
redemption may diminish and the fund may
also be supplied by further deposits of banks
wishing to surrender circulation. But after
any reasonable deduction for use of surplus in
that direction. there will still remain, If bust
ness continues prosperous during the next fiscal
year, large surplus in addition to the sum
required for the sinking fund. which the Treas